Chapter 148

The nurse handed over the critical condition form with trembling fingers.

The paper felt weightless in Alexander's grasp, yet it carried the crushing burden of a thousand stones.

An invisible pressure settled over him, making his skin crawl with discomfort.

Critical condition.

Was Evelyn really about to slip away from him forever?

He refused to accept it.

"Alexander, you need to sign it. Let her go peacefully," Victoria urged, stepping forward to grasp his arm.

He shoved her away violently, crumpling the form in his fist. His eyes burned with fury. "What critical condition? She was fine! Fix her! If anything happens to her, I'll make sure this hospital shuts down!"

The nurse flinched at his outburst, scrambling back into the operating room in fear.

Moments later, a team of specialists rushed past him, disappearing behind the swinging doors.

Alexander slumped into a chair, dragging his hands through his hair. His jaw clenched so tight it ached.

How could this be happening?

Why did the thought of losing Evelyn terrify him so much?

The suffocating dread was unbearable.

He needed to see her.

After relentless demands, the doctors finally relented, allowing him inside under strict conditions.

He scrubbed in, donned sterile gear, and stepped into the operating theater, half-expecting to find Evelyn awake, smirking at him—proving this was all some twisted joke.

Instead, he froze.

Her face was ghostly pale, devoid of any warmth.

For the first time, he truly looked at her. Even with the scars marring her skin, she was breathtaking.

If only she would open those mesmerizing eyes—the ones that had once sparkled like stars.

But she didn’t move.

Machines beeped erratically, tubes snaked across her fragile body, keeping her tethered to life by a thread.

Alexander stood paralyzed, drowning in helplessness.

Memories flooded him—Evelyn on her first day at university, vibrant and full of life, colliding into him with an embarrassed laugh. "I'm so sorry!" Her voice had been like honey, sweet and warm.

Then their wedding day—her radiant smile, those dimples that made his chest tighten.

Now...

The relentless mechanical whirring became too much.

Fear clawed at his throat.

He couldn’t stay.

He fled the operating room, heart pounding, because for the first time in his life, Alexander Blackwood was terrified—terrified of losing her.